Lose Arm Flab With Your Thoughts, Part 2

If you read my last article on how to lose arm flab, you understand how important it is to modify thought processes so that motivation never fades when trying to tone your arms. Unfortunately, most women focus on their bodies and forget to focus on their minds—the most important part of the equation.

Fluctuations in motivation are part of human nature. It is impossible to maintain a high level of motivation on one single goal all the time. In this case, flabby arms. The good news is that you can drastically reduce motivational fluctuations so that you almost never fall off the bandwagon.

In this article, I am going to reveal 3 more “cognitive distortions” you should avoid so that motivation stays high over the long run:

1. Labeling. This form of thinking is crippling. You give yourself an “abstract” name any time you mess up. For example, if you miss an arm workout you might call yourself “lazy”, “a slouch”, “unmotivated”, “a loser”, or even worse, “a failure.” Instead of analyzing the specific circumstances that led to the missed workout, you assume something is internally wrong by giving yourself a label. The truth is that nobody can be identified with a single label. We are very complex beings with a wide variety of behaviors that are constantly changing. We are like rivers, not statues. Nothing is internally wrong with you. NEVER label yourself.

2. Whipping statements. Ouch. I say ouch because over time this type of thinking can single-handedly destroy your motivation to get arm tone. Unfortunately, the “no pain no gain” culture we live in has spread this harmful thinking like a virus. If you ever find yourself saying “I should, must or oughta go workout” stop immediately. At first, this whipping technique might work, but over time these words will make you feel pressured and apathetic. Eventually, you will stop working out all together. The remedy? If any of these whipping words pop up in your internal dialogue switch your attention immediately to something else.

3. Minimization. This type of distortion is extremely debilitating because it makes you feel like a mouse instead of a lion. It’s also known as the reverse binocular trick because you see your abilities as being much smaller than they actually are. For example, let’s say you read through a testimonial about a woman that got rid of her flabby arms despite insurmountable obstacles like having a full time job, being a single mother, and having some type of physical limitation. You automatically assume that you could never do something like this. You conclude that you don’t have the willpower to accomplish such a feat the way she did. But how do you know this unless you try? In reality, you probably have just as much, if not more, willpower than said woman. The only thing holding you back is your minimizing assumption that you don’t.

So now you are one step closer towards achieving lasting motivation. Staying on the arm tone bandwagon doesn’t have to be an endless battle with yourself. If you avoid the cognitive distortions, maintaining consistency will be a walk in the park!